Page 40 of Twins for the Secret Prince
“Pete, no. It’s too dangerous.” Eva bit her lip.
“If we were ever discovered, I’d take the fall for it. I promise you that.”
“Oh sure, like that would work. I don’t think the major’s going to fall for it. I’m pretty sure he knows that it takes two to tango.”
“You’re right. Dumb idea.”
“There’s another thing. I see the way you look at me when we’re in the same room. You have to stop, or people are going to notice.” Eva put on her best stern face, hoping he would see how serious she was.
“Stop looking at you? How can I do that? And anyway, I’m pretty sure all eyes are on you when you’re inanyroom.”
“When you do it, it’s ogling. You have to stop.”
“Ogling? You make it sound like I’m some kind of pervert.”
Eva was embarrassed talking about it. “Look, I’m not trying to hurt your feelings. I just mean that we have to be very careful, keep our hands and eyes off of each other.”
Pete was quiet for a minute and then said, “Okay. You’re right.”
Eva knew she was right, but she also knew that she didn’t want to be. Secretly, she wanted him to tell her it was impossible to keep his hands off of her, that they had to find a way to continue their trysts. Eva promised herself she would try to find a way to make it happen.
The following afternoon, Eva found the chance to put her plan into action. At the informal ceremony during which the major presented their commendations for leadership in the community during the recent community evacuation, Eva andPete stood close enough together that she was able to slip a piece of paper into his pocket. On it, she’d written:
Rock face. 23.55.
It was cryptic, but she sincerely hoped he’d understand the message.
Eva unlocked her office door at twenty minutes to midnight. She was sure that no one had seen her let herself in and, as she waited in the dark room, hoped that Pete would be just as careful. At exactly five minutes to midnight, there was a light rap at her door.
She opened it as quietly as she could to find Pete standing there, grinning at her like the Cheshire Cat.
“You figured it out,” she whispered, pulling him by the arm into her office.
“I hope I get extra brownie points for my problem-solving skills,” he said, pulling her close.
Eva locked the door behind him. “Corridor patrols pass by every twenty minutes. If we stay here, to the right of the door, they won’t be able to see us through the glass.”
“Excellent work, sergeant,” he said, backing up against the wall as he started to undress.
They were quick and furtive, the risk of being caught by the patrol guard adding extra haste to their coming together. They knew they had to be quiet and moaned into each other’s mouths to keep themselves from crying out. When they were finished,they stood silently, skin to skin, waiting until the patrol guard’s footsteps disappeared.
“Can we do it again?” Pete asked, nuzzling his face into Eva’s neck.
“Yes, but not tonight,” Eva said, kissing him hungrily. “We’d better not chance our luck.”
“Okay. I’ll look forward to your next note.”
“Be careful on your way back to bed.”
“I will. You too.”
Both Eva and Pete were so busy — and still putting in extra time in their efforts to be recognized as deserving the promotion to sergeant major — that there was almost no time available to rendezvous. Eva put more energy than she had into finding different places for them to meet, to minimize the risk of being discovered. The frisson of excitement that it gave her only added to the physical pleasure she took from being with Pete the few times they managed it.
Scoping out potential meeting places became part of her day-to-day behavior, as she searched for spaces that were as out of the way as possible, where they were least likely to be stumbled upon. She thought of it as an illicit challenge, one which came with huge risk but also brought tremendous reward.
One night, they were lying together underneath a scratchy woolen blanket on top of a makeshift mattress made of beanbags. “We really should get dressed,” Eva said dreamily. What she really wanted was to fall fast asleep in Pete’s arms.
“But that would mean we wouldn’t be able to do that again,” Pete said, kissing the top of her head.
